Latest news with #RebuildingAmericanInfrastructurewithSustainabilityandEquity
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Johnstown officials update downtown makeover plans during address
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — The annual State of the City Address, delivered by the Johnstown Mayor and the City Manager, touched on several projects, such as the Main Street and Central Park redesigns, as well as other plans, such as a new municipal website. Frank Janakovic, the Mayor, and Art Martynuska, the City Manager, discussed many subjects during their hour-long presentation Thursday at Ace's in the Cambria City section of Johnstown, according to our media partners at The Tribune-Democrat. Martynuska focused on providing updates on the Main Street and Central Park projects. The remakes are part of a larger initiative that will also include work on the Johnstown Train Station, the Johnstown Inclined Plane and the Downtown Intermodal Transportation Center. The U.S. Department of Transportation's 'Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity' discretionary grant money supplied more than $24 million for the projects. The renovation of Central Park is expected to start later this year and be completed in 2026. An original design was done by a New York City-based architect with assistance from a local firm, with the local firm taking the lead on the project now. Johnstown has also made changes to its code enforcement, with Laurel Municipal Services set to join in enforcement with city code officers and firefighters. There are also plans to either repair the Public Safety Building or construct a new building entirely, with renovations expected to cost $10 million and a new building priced around $20 million. Janakovic, in his third and last term as mayor, touched on developments made over the past years that have contributed to the city's improving economic condition. Specifically, he pointed to the city selling its sewer system to the Greater Johnstown Water Authority, with the money then used to shore up the police, fire and municipal workers' pension funds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Key grant for new Appleton transit center under review
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – A major project to build a new transit center in Appleton has hit a snag. 'As I understand it the administration (U.S. Department of Transportation) has asked for all discretionary grants to be reviewed,' said Valley Transit general manager Ronald McDonald. 'My understanding is that the grant is in the secretaries office along with all the other grants under review.' The grant that McDonald referenced is $25 million in funding the city received two summers ago through the federal government's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. It will almost cover the entirety of the transit center project. Green Bay nonprofit and YMCA host inclusive art event McDonald said USDOT officials will review the grant, but said he's confident the city will retain the funding. 'Realistically this was a very competitive grant, we went through a competitive process and scored very highly,' McDonald said. 'So it's very unlikely that we won't receive the grant.' McDonald said the USDOT review will slow down the project a bit. He said he hasn't received a timeline for how long the review will take. In addition to the new transit center, private developers plan to build apartment buildings on top of the new building. McDonald said this part of the project will rely on private funding and the $25 million grant will not cover this portion of the project. Bonduel woman sentenced to jail for embezzlement scheme with husband 'We're confident that this project will get done, but there's a lot of work in the background waiting for that to happen,' McDonald said. He said the current transit center is outdated and needs upgrades to its HVAC and plumbing system. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction of Dixon's $12M pedestrian bridge, Project Rock, kicks off with celebration
Apr. 8—DIXON — The city of Dixon on Tuesday announced the start of its multi-million dollar project that will build a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River at the band shell in Page Park. The $12 million development known as Project Rock will extend the multi-use path that runs west of Heritage Crossing with a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River using the old Illinois Central Railroad piers, construct an additional 2.8 miles of multi-use path and resurface just less than a mile of Page Drive, which is maintained by the Dixon Park District. ExpandAutoplay Image 1 of 12 Dixon mayor Glen Hughes heaps praise on some of the visionaries who helped get Project Rock to this phase during a speech Tuesday, April 8, 2025. The building of a pedestrian bridge and path extension is underway at Page Park in Dixon. (Alex T. Paschal) At Tuesday's event, Mayor Glen Hughes, Illinois Secretary of Transportation Gia Biagi, IDOT District 2 Local Roads Engineer Shawn Ortgiesen and state Sen. Li Arellano's chief of staff, Nancy Naylor, spoke about how impactful the completed project will be on the community. The rock in Project Rock represents the river, but it also stands for "revitalizing opportunities for our community and kids. It is a transformational amenity," Hughes said. It is an "anchor project of public safety and economic development" that will greatly improve quality of life, Naylor said. Part of the project is constructing new parking and new curb for Page Drive. The multi-use path will connect to the existing pathways on the other side of the river while also running through Page Park and connecting to park district facilities and Dixon High School. It's intended to increase walkability in Dixon by acting as another mode of transportation for residents, Ortgiesen said. It's planned to be completed in June 2026, which is months ahead of the originally projected date of December 2026, Hughes said in an interview with Shaw Local. The majority of the project is funded by an $11.9 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. So far, the Dixon City Council contributed $895,000 in local funds as part of the grant requirements, according to a resolution approved by the council Aug. 5, 2024. "This project is just one example of what we're trying to do all across the state," Biagi said as she referred to the Rebuild grants. Its completion will close out the city's riverfront development master plan, which began in 1998. The plan includes four projects: the construction of Heritage Crossing, completed in 2009; the installation of a multi-use path that extends east along River Road from Galena Avenue to Route 2, also completed in 2009; the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program multi-use path that runs west along the Rock River, completed in July 2024; and finally Project Rock. "This is a real team project," Hughes said. The city has partnered with the Dixon Park District, the Illinois Department of Transportation and worked with Dixon High School to turn the project into a reality. The speakers also singled out Larry Reed of Dixon as instrumental in its creation. Reed, who died in May 2024, was appointed to the Dixon Riverfront Commission in 1998 and was at the forefront of developing the riverfront master plan in 2002.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Westover sidewalk delayed as state prepares US 19 corridor study
Mar. 20—WESTOVER — It's one of those good news, bad news situations. The bad news — A highly requested sidewalk project along Westover's Fairmont Road is being delayed at least a year. The good news — The delay is tied to a planning study that could lead to significant corridor improvements, sidewalks included, through the heart of the city. When the roughly $1.5 billion in federal RAISE Grant (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) awards were announced for 2024, the West Virginia Department of Transportation had three projects on the list. One in Charleston. One in Beckley. One in Westover. In Westover, the state is looking to spend the $1, 275, 000 grant to take a good, hard look at the U.S. 19 corridor that runs the length of the city as Fairmont Road and Holland Avenue. According to the information included with the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2024 RAISE awards, improvements are sorely needed. "The project will improve the safety of the US 19 corridor for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. The corridor currently poses a range of safety risks, which will be addressed with a combination of new sidewalks, repaired sidewalks, bike lanes and enhanced traffic management." The local Metropolitan Planning Organization agrees it's a priority. It listed the corridor as a Tier 1 project as part of the 2022 update to its Metropolitan Transportation Plan. At that time, the cost of the needed upgrades were estimated at $13.3 million. When Westover was informed of the pending study, the news came with a request from the state. "So, they're committed to making that better and the DOH came to us and asked us if we could postpone the sidewalk grants until they were done with this study, because they want to make sure all the work that gets done on this corridor, from front to back, fits with this study, basically, " Westover Public Works Director Jason Stinespring said. The sidewalk grants in question are a collection of funding sources pulled together by the city to construct a much-needed sidewalk along Fairmont Road, starting at Savannah Street and running toward Dents Run Boulevard. Two of those funding sources — a $400, 000 Surface Transportation Block Grant through the MPO and a $125, 000 Transportation Alternative Grant — are state sourced. Stinespring said those funds will be held for future use. That's not the case for a $400, 000 Community Development Block Grant, which the city will essentially lose. Westover's plan was to build as much sidewalk as the funds would cover, then pick it up again when more money became available. "[The state ] is doing this [study ] to eventually have all this work done, so they said there's going to be plenty of money to pull from to probably get a sidewalk the whole way down the road, to be honest with you, " Stinespring said, explaining any projects resulting from the study are likely at least two years away. "With the state putting that much effort into it with a million-dollar grant, our thinking at least is they're really wanting to do something nice with this, " he said. "It does stink with all the work we put into it, and we were excited for the sidewalk, but I think trying to look in the long-term, working with them on this is going to get us the best product in the corridor."
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction of Dixon's $12 million pedestrian bridge project underway
Mar. 3—DIXON — Construction of Dixon's multi-million dollar economic development project began last week as crews mobilized at Page Park in Dixon. ExpandAutoplay Image 1 of 5 Heavy equipment is seen Feb. 28, 2025, at Page Park in Dixon as Project Rock moves forward with the building of a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River. (Alex T. Paschal) Known as Project Rock, the over $12 million development, which is primarily grant funded, will extend the multi-use path that runs west of Heritage Crossing with a pedestrian bridge over the Rock River using the old Illinois Central Railroad piers, construct an additional 2.8 miles of multi-use path and resurface just less than a mile of Page Drive, which is maintained by the Dixon Park District. Construction crews headed out to Page Park on Friday to get their equipment in place. Their first task is completing tree removal in preparation for the construction of the pathway that will be adjacent to Page Drive, City Manager Danny Langloss said in an interview with Shaw Local. The multi-use path will also run through Page Park and connect to some park district facilities as well as Dixon High School. It's planned to be lined with LED lights and is intended to increase the city's walkability by acting as another mode of transportation for residents, according to a project agreement approved by the Dixon City Council at its June 17, 2024, meeting. The city plans on putting together a tentative construction schedule and hopes to minimize disruption to any community events happening in the park during construction, Public Works Director Matt Heckman said in a previous interview with Shaw Local. "It's a long, long project," Heckman said. "The time frame between now and final project closeout is expected to be pretty close to two years." It's expected to be completed by Dec. 1, 2026, according to the approved construction agreement. The project was put out for bid in September 2024 and Willett Hofmann & Associates, an engineering consultant firm in Dixon, was selected through a qualifications-based process, which is mandated for projects that use federal dollars, Heckman said. The majority of the project is funded by an $11.9 million grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. So far, the council has agreed to contribute a total of $895,000 in local funds to its preliminary engineering and construction as part of the grant requirements, according to a resolution allocating the funds approved at the Aug. 5, 2024, City Council meeting. Within the city's budget, the council has allocated a total of $3 million from fiscal 2022 and 2023 "turn ins" — money that was left over after the city audit was complete — to the project, Heckman said. The proposed fiscal 2026 budget asks the council to allocate another $1.3 million left over from the fiscal 2024 audit. It also estimates that $700,000 will be left over from fiscal 2025, which ends April 30, and asks for that money to also be allocated as well, Heckman said. The project will complete the city's riverfront development master plan — which began in 1998. The plan includes four projects: the construction of Heritage Crossing, completed in 2009; the installation of a multi-use path that extends east along River Road from Galena Avenue to Route 2, also completed in 2009; the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program multi-use path that runs west along the Rock River, completed in July 2024; and finally Project Rock.
